Racial flex stats are up!

[UngeheuerLich]

The most important thing here is: int/dex is a not only paired, it is mostly useless too. And not getting at least +1 to a defense doesn´t help either. And i am ready to rage here quite a bit.

Why not cha, dex or int which seems fitting for fey and will make them useful rogues at least and even good sorcerers and of course, great fey hexblades.

Or int, cha or wis to have still the choice between two paired stats and wisdom is the secondary for the illusionist since essentials, with the drawback that gnomes used to be unwise in ADnD, however perception was an int thing back then.

Or my favourite choice, that is any combination of con, int and charisma as favoured by the designers, since they were + int in ADnD and + con in 3.x and should make good bards as of 3.5.

 

[Nemesis Destiny]

Adding in the two new races in Heroes of Shadow gives us two more DEX/CHA, another INT/CHA and another STR/CHA option. So, the only stat combo with only a single race is the STR/CHA genasi.

I was surprised that Genasi went the way they did, I would have given them a choice between INT and CHA, making them STR/CHA would have made them better Sorcerers and Paladins, both of which match their flavour, IMO. For a second INT/CON race, I would have given the honor to the Revenants, who have a strong Warlock connection, or even the Shadar-Kai.

I am surprised at the lack of STR/DEX races. Only Half-Orcs and Thri-Kreen? This to me, seems to be a place where you'd find a lot of races.

I was not terribly surprised to see Genasi get Int + Str/Con, but I would have rather seen them get Int + Str/Cha, or the combo you suggested, so that they'd at least make halfway decent Sorcerers, as well.

There is a notable lack, as you point out, of Str + Dex races, but for me that ship already sailed, as I was hoping that Elf would get that one in the form of Dex + Str/Wis.

I also would like to have seen a different array for Revenants, but I probably posted my gripe about that one last page or so.

Ah well, that's what houserules are for.

Or my favourite choice, that is any combination of con, int and charisma as favoured by the designers, since they were + int in ADnD and + con in 3.x and should make good bards as of 3.5.

I agree. I would like to have seen Con + Int/Cha gnomes as well. Nobody has ever asked to play a gnome in my games though, so I don't think it will ever come up.

 

[Herschel]

While other races make good warlords of various flavors I look at Genasi as the thinking strongmen and having the best "take" on the tactical warlord aspects in their racial schools of combat, just like they "specialize" in Swordmage fighting styles. They also make great skirmishing warlords due to the mobility of their swordmage bretheren.

I do get the beef with no Charisma boost option though. The race that is flavored perfectly for Chaos & Storm Sorcerers don't make particularly good ones.

 

[Mirtek]

I do believe that if you read the EULA it states that if you are no longer a DDi member that you are to delete the software.

Wow, good thing that the mags are no longer printed, otherwise they would have to include a line in the subscribing contract that you have to tear up the mags once you're no longer a subscriber

I think it is safe to say that the status of cbloader is at worst potentially ambiguous.

The problem is with using the files other people created for the CB loader. If you were to only use the CB loader for upload-files you create yourself (and don't distribute them either) that would be fine. However when you download the WotC rules-files other people prepared and upload them you're pirating WotC's material, not different from downloading the newest rules book.

 

[Vael]

There is a notable lack, as you point out, of Str + Dex races, but for me that ship already sailed, as I was hoping that Elf would get that one in the form of Dex + Str/Wis.

I agree. I would like to have seen Con + Int/Cha gnomes as well. Nobody has ever asked to play a gnome in my games though, so I don't think it will ever come up.

Honestly, didn't see Elves as STR/DEX, so the INT bump doesn't bother me, it fits their Arcane heritage. I also see Elven Accuracy as such a strong power that the lack of a Defense bump by going DEX/INT is not unbalanced.

If we're looking at other races to fill the STR/DEX slot ... Goliaths seemed the natural fit, if only to prevent their stat overlap with Minotaurs. WIS was the other option for them, though, so again, not unhappy with choice. Gnolls got left out of variable stats, they also would be a viable STR/DEX race.

Gnomes ... I've seen Gnomes in my game (before they disappear), and while INT + CHA/CON was certainly where I was leaning (it fits their 3.5 stats), the DEX bump isn't a complete surprise given their stealth bonuses.

So, for the record, for the races that have gained stat options:

Stat Options I'm Happy With:
- Deva, Eladrin, Half-Elf, Kalashtar, Tiefling, Warforged
Stat Options I'm Indifferent to:
- Dragonborn, Drow, Dwarf, Elf, Halfling
Stat Options that are not what I would have chosen, but okay:
- Gnome, Goliath, Half-Orc, Shadar-Kai
Stat Options I'm not happy with:
- Genasi, Revenant

 

[Nemesis Destiny]

Wow, good thing that the mags are no longer printed, otherwise they would have to include a line in the subscribing contract that you have to tear up the mags once you're no longer a subscriber
The problem is with using the files other people created for the CB loader. If you were to only use the CB loader for upload-files you create yourself (and don't distribute them either) that would be fine. However when you download the WotC rules-files other people prepared and upload them you're pirating WotC's material, not different from downloading the newest rules book.

It does differ, in that as already established, game rules cannot be copyrighted, only their explanations.

By virtue of how the CBloader files are structured, they are all coded by hand, not copied from books, and can, theoretically, contain nothing but rules data.

You have a point in that in actual practise, generally this is not the case, and the flavour text and descriptions from the books do make it into the CBloader files, but it is possible, if this material is sufficiently paraphrased, to avoid copyright entanglements completely.

 

[MrMyth]

Wow, good thing that the mags are no longer printed, otherwise they would have to include a line in the subscribing contract that you have to tear up the mags once you're no longer a subscriber.

Just to hop in before the rumor gets up too much steam, I am about 99% confident that Mithreinmaethor is incorrect. I don't think there is anything that says you need to delete the software once you are no longer a subscriber.

I vaguely recall, when someone was pursuing refunds, that they got a response from Digital River that implied that, but once they followed-up it turned out that was because it was a form letter response for DR's other products, which are primarily microsoft materials that had that requirement. I seem to recall that WotC reps specifically made it clear that there was no such requirement for the DDI downloadable programs.

 

[MrMyth]

Honestly, didn't see Elves as STR/DEX, so the INT bump doesn't bother me, it fits their Arcane heritage. I also see Elven Accuracy as such a strong power that the lack of a Defense bump by going DEX/INT is not unbalanced.

I would have liked to have seen Elves gaining Str as an option since that would have called back to the Wild Elf / Wood Elf variants, while focusing on their magic heritage seems... redundant, since that already exists in the form of the Eladrin.

 

[Mithreinmaethor]

Just to hop in before the rumor gets up too much steam, I am about 99% confident that Mithreinmaethor is incorrect. I don't think there is anything that says you need to delete the software once you are no longer a subscriber.

I vaguely recall, when someone was pursuing refunds, that they got a response from Digital River that implied that, but once they followed-up it turned out that was because it was a form letter response for DR's other products, which are primarily microsoft materials that had that requirement. I seem to recall that WotC reps specifically made it clear that there was no such requirement for the DDI downloadable programs.

I recommend that you read Section 6 of the EULA.

 

[MrMyth]

I recommend that you read Section 6 of the EULA.

Yes, but I don't believe WotC has ever terminated anyone's license. Even by the strictest wording of the EULA, it doesn't happen automatically - it is an option given, and not one I'm aware of ever really being used. It's standard legal boiler-plate to cover contingencies, but I don't believe there is any general policy of requiring users to delete their software when their subscription ends.

The only case I've heard of where that came up turns out to have been a miscommunication from Digital River (the payment processing company for DDI), and I believe WotC staff specifically confirmed that no one needed to delete their software upon cancellation of subscription.